Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

MOSI hopes to display bodies

The museum is trying to organize a controversial but popular exhibit using human cadavers.

By BILL VARIAN
Published July 14, 2005

TAMPA - One of the hottest new trends in science exhibits, preserved human bodies that are dissected and posed to reveal their inner secrets, may be coming to Tampa if the Museum of Science and Industry can close the deal.

Similar to an exhibit now packing in crowds at a science museum in Chicago, "Bodies Revealed" would feature some 20 dissected corpses and more than 100 body parts or anatomical systems, treated to prevent decomposition and odor.

A blockbuster show would be welcome news for the museum, located near the University of South Florida. Museum officials are scheduled to appear before Hillsborough County commissioners Wednesday to request $2.3-million to pay off debt and build reserves.

But similar exhibits around the world also have proved controversial, if popular, drawing complaints from science ethicists and religious leaders who say such displays are a sensational exploitation of the dead.

MOSI president Wit Ostrenko said Wednesday that he is negotiating with the show's producer and hopes to announce a contract later this month. He was more circumspect later in the day, responding through a spokesman.

"MOSI is constantly evaluating future exhibitions and does have an interest in hosting a human anatomy exhibition in the future," Ostrenko said. "At this point, MOSI has not confirmed any of these types of exhibitions."

Written information he shared with Hillsborough commissioners this week outlines a plan for an exhibition that would begin Aug. 20 and last approximately six months.

It also showed that museum operators are organizing a medical and ethics committee, including some of its board members, church leaders and medical experts.

Information shared with commissioners indicates the show would be presented by Premier Exhibitions of Atlanta, the same group behind exhibitions on the Titanic shipwreck in recent years at Florida International Museum and at MOSI.

Representatives of Premier Exhibitions confirmed they are talking with MOSI and other museums about bringing a version of "Bodies Revealed" to the United States. Another version of the show is running in Seoul, South Korea.

A show in Tampa would mark the North American debut for "Bodies Revealed."

"We hope that in the future we can bring it to the Tampa Bay area," said Tom Zaller, vice president of exhibitions for Premier. "We think it's a great market and a great medical community."

Premier and "Bodies Revealed" is not affiliated with "Body Worlds," the show appearing at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry that has drawn some 450,000 visitors since February.

Variations of that show have appeared throughout Europe and Asia, as well as Los Angeles and Cleveland, and its organizers claim cumulative crowds of more than 14-million since 1996.

"Bodies Revealed," which MOSI is seeking, is much newer.

In addition to Seoul, where the show is expected to draw more than 700,000 visitors by the time it concludes an eight-month run in November, "Bodies Revealed" debuted in Blackpool, in Lancashire, England, in 2004.

Like "Body Worlds" and other similar touring exhibits, "Bodies Revealed" includes displays of dissected human bodies kept from decaying through a process called polymer preservation, also known as plastination.

In essence, the bodies are drained of all fat and fluids, which are replaced with polymers such as silicone rubber, epoxy and polyester. This keeps the flesh from decaying and maintains its natural look.

Skin from the bodies is removed, or partially removed, to reveal muscular, nervous, circulatory or digestive systems. In some cases, only one of those systems remains, leaving, for instance, only a brain and spinal cord and all the nerve lines that connect to it.

Dr. Roy Glover, a retired University of Michigan anatomy and cell biology professor, is medical director for Premier Exhibitions. He said pictures in books and manufactured models only approximate the body's interior and don't capture the differences between one person's body and another's.

"Since the body never lies, this is the best way to teach us about itself," Glover said.

The exhibit would include some bodies in athletic poses, such as throwing a discus. And it would contrast healthy and ailing body parts, such as a healthy liver and one showing signs of cirrhosis.

All of the bodies have been donated to medical facilities for use in education purposes, Glover said. That's the primary purpose of the show, he added, with the show's producers placing an emphasis on displaying the bodies with dignity and respect.

Nevertheless, some critics, including religious leaders, criticized the show when it debuted in England as "sick" and an example of "sensationalism," according to the British Broadcasting Corp.

Zaller, of Premiere Exhibitions, said the show is no different from a King Tut exhibition, except the bodies are newer.

Even with its attendant controversy, the "Body Worlds" show has proved a raving success at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. Like Tampa, Chicago organizers also formed an advisory committee ahead of time. They also cordoned off the exhibit and required an extra ticket so people who were not interested did not stumble into a surprise.

"The kids are in there and they're asking questions and they're excited," said Lisa Miner, director of public relations for the Chicago Museum. "It's exactly what a science museum would want to have happening."

Hillsborough Commissioner Mark Sharpe, a booster of redevelopment in the university area, will ask his fellow board members Wednesday to use county reserves to prop up the museum. He said the show should help MOSI's bottom line, and he's looking forward to seeing it.

"This is an excellent opportunity for a lot of people to learn about the human body," Sharpe said. "To me, I think it's just fascinating."

Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report, which includes information from the British Broadcasting Corp. and Sky News. Bill Varian can be reached at 813 226-3387 or varian@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 14, 2005, 00:47:10]